If anyone else had dared to mock the tyrant like that, they would have been dragged away and subjected to severe torture long ago. In other words, no one would dare to be so unrestrained in front of the tyrant, except for Qin Ge.
Seeing the tyrant's face darken, Qin Ge not only didn't restrain himself, but became even bolder, flirting with him like a spoiled and dissolute young nobleman—
"It is truly a great regret of my life that I have never been able to see His Majesty dressed as a woman. I feel that I will always regret it whenever I think about it."
"I wonder if Your Majesty would be so kind as to wear women's clothing one more time, to fulfill my lifelong wish?"
Jun Chenbi, his face dark, reached out and pinched Qin Ge's cheek, affectionately scolding, "You little rascal."
Even he himself didn't realize that a smile had unconsciously crept onto his lips.
The couple emerged from Cixi Palace, playfully bickering, their mood and expression not as somber as one might expect.
After the Emperor and Empress left, the Emperor's chief eunuch, Eunuch Xia, entered the hall, bringing a white silk ribbon, a dagger, and a cup of poisoned wine, which he presented to Empress Dowager Cixi.
The Empress Dowager could choose any of the three ways to die.
This can be considered the last bit of dignity the emperor bestowed upon her.
Jun Chenbi is a vengeful person. In recent years, he has only tried his best to be a wise ruler in the eyes of the people for the sake of his empress, but deep down he is still a tyrant.
The prince's son who rebelled—for some reason, Qin Ge forbade him to be killed, and had no choice but to spare his life, imprisoning him for life.
However, he showed no restraint or leniency towards Empress Dowager Cixi.
If Empress Dowager Cixi had simply behaved herself and not coveted what she didn't deserve, Jun Chenbi might have spared her life and allowed her to live out her remaining years in the palace.
Even if Consort Zhen was forced to her death by the Empress Dowager who wanted to take her child away, it was still Consort Zhen's own choice. To a certain extent, Jun Chenbi also benefited from the Empress Dowager's protection when he was young.
However, Empress Dowager Cixi saw that he was out of control. After ascending the throne, he not only did not make a woman from the Gu family his empress to continue her family's glory, but also went against the grain by first favoring a concubine's daughter from the Qin family and then making a man the Empress of Dayong. She began to worry that if Jun Chenbi ever learned the truth about the death of his birth mother, Consort Zhen, he would take revenge on her and the Gu family.
Therefore, she decided to join forces with the son of the prince who had almost become the crown prince during the reign of the late emperor.
This betrayal occurred after receiving a promise from the other party that if he succeeded in achieving great things, he would make a woman from the Gu family his empress.
Empress Dowager Cixi had considered the consequences of failure, so when she saw the white silk, dagger, and poisoned wine presented to her, she remained calm, as if she had long anticipated her fate.
Empress Dowager Cixi picked up the cup of poisoned wine laced with arsenic and drank it all in one gulp.
In this life, as the eldest daughter of the Gu family, she entered the palace for the glory of her family, donned the phoenix robe, and took charge of the six palaces. She should have been the mother of the nation, but the late emperor favored the Consort, and she, the empress, became a mere figurehead.
She lived so hard, so diligently, and so full of resentment, yet she made a joke out of herself.
If there is an afterlife...
I will never again serve in an imperial family!
The silver wine vessel slipped from her hand, and Empress Dowager Cixi fell to the ground, closing her eyes forever...
~
The death of the Empress Dowager should have been a major event of national mourning. However, since Empress Dowager Cixi was executed for rebellion, there was no need for her to observe mourning in white.
When the eunuchs consulted the emperor about how to arrange Empress Dowager Cixi's funeral, the emperor simply wrote down his words—
He was buried in the imperial mausoleum, and everything was kept simple.
…
Neither Qin Ge nor Jun Chenbi had a deep relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi, so they couldn't feel sad. Whether Empress Dowager Cixi was there or not made little difference to the couple.
Compared to the Empress Dowager Cixi, whom he was not very familiar with, Qin Ge was more concerned about when the tyrant would be able to wear women's clothing for him to see.
He's been pestering Jun Chenbi lately, nagging him relentlessly.
They insisted on seeing the tyrant in women's clothing.
At first, the tyrant would definitely have a dark expression and refuse outright, saying, "Nonsense."
Gradually...
The refusal was not so firm.
Because Jun Chenbi rarely saw his empress so childish and playful.
Jun Chenbi was inevitably soft-hearted.
—Although he is not a soft-hearted person, one could say he is as hard as iron.
—But Qin Ge was an exception.
However, tyrants are emperors at heart, no different from modern capitalists who devour people without spitting out the bones; they have never been willing to do a losing business.
Qin Ge was aware of this as well.
Therefore, when he pestered the tyrant, he didn't just use the most foolish method of relentless harassment. He would occasionally throw out a hook, with a hint of flattery.
Of course, this kind of flattery is not about fawning or currying favor with superiors, but rather a little bit of fun between husband and wife.
For example, Qin Ge is a good cook.
In one of his transmigration stories, he was the descendant of a royal chef, with his culinary skills maxed out.
However, few people know this.
Qin Ge would not easily reveal or show off the talent skills he had already unlocked.
In addition, in this life, I am of noble status and have maids and servants, so I don't have many opportunities to experience the mundane world.
Jun Chenbi had no idea that his empress was an excellent cook.
To see the tyrant in women's clothing, Qin Ge went to great lengths. One day after court, he personally went into the imperial kitchen, rolled up the sleeves of his magnificent robe, tied his long black hair into a high ponytail that exuded youthful energy, put on a plain apron, and personally washed his hands to cook a soup.
The ingredients used in the imperial kitchen are all the best in the world. Combined with Qin Ge's superb cooking skills, even the most ordinary home-cooked dishes are incredibly delicious.
The young prince in the cold palace did indeed suffer from hunger and lack of clothing when he was young, but after becoming emperor, he tasted all the world's finest delicacies and was no longer overly fond of food.
What surprised Jun Chenbi was that her beloved husband cooked for her.
His Majesty the Emperor was warmly invited by his Empress to sit at the dinner table. Upon learning that the table laden with delicacies had been specially prepared for him by Qin Ge, his expression could be translated as—
How many more surprises do you have that I don't know about!
This sentence.
To demonstrate her sincerity and sacrifice to the tyrant, Qin Ge even deliberately kept the clothes she wore while cooking, including the apron, in front of Jun Chenbi, intentionally displaying them to remind him—
A wise man keeps away from the kitchen. I've gone to great lengths to please you, so you should at least offer me something in return, right?
Jun Chenbi knew that the reward Qin Ge wanted was simply to see him in women's clothing.
Faced with a table of delicacies prepared by his beloved husband, His Majesty the Emperor rubbed his temples with a mixture of surprise and worry.
A feeling of helplessness, yet not anger, even tinged with a hint of indulgence:
'I don't know what kind of hobby it is to insist on seeing him in women's clothing...'
Jun Chenbi also knew that Qin Ge would not give up until he achieved his goal.
Although he liked, and even enjoyed, Qin Ge's clinginess, his entanglement, and his various ways of trying to please him, he was also well aware that if he didn't give in soon, his empress would probably get angry and might not even let him into bed.
His Majesty the Emperor is accustomed to the couple's life at night, and just thinking about it makes him feel... he must have a hard time sleeping alone.
~~~
His Majesty the Emperor and his beloved husband wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!
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